January 11th, 2010 | 
Author: Canning ground beef is so easy to do and very convenient to keep on hand! I prefer to keep canned meat on hand rather then frozen for a few reasons. It is always ready to use, no waiting for frozen meat to thaw out. Yes, I know I could take it out of the freezer the day before but I always forget. Canned meat keeps longer then frozen, and it never gets freezer burned! Also more then once I’ve had someone unplug my freezer with disastrous results. However a long power outage would have the same results.
A few years ago, I changed the way I canned ground beef. Instead of pan frying it in small batches, then having to drain and rinse the fat off I started boiling it. I can place large amounts of ground beef in my stock pot, cover it with water and let it simmer until it’s cooked. This saves me time, I no longer have to cook in small batches. I can get it ready then go and attend to other jobs. I no longer have grease splatting around my stove. One of the best advantages is a nice large pot of soup stock! After boiling the ground beef, I strain the broth and set it in the fridge to cool over night. The next day skim the fat off the top. You can now season the broth however you like.
How To Can Ground Beef
- Place meat in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until cooked through.
- Drain off stock, reserving to use latter for soups.
- Spoon meat into jars and leave 1 inch of head space. Cover with boiling water or beef stock.
- Wipe rims and add lids. Tighten rings finger tight.
- Place into canner.
- Pressure can for 90 minutes.
- After canner depressurizes set on a towel to cool, let sit for 24 hour so the seal can harden.
- Take jar rings off, wipe the jars clean. Label and store in a cool dry place.
Posted in Canning, Recipes | 
Tags: Canning, food storage, frugal, ground beef, homestead series, how to
What a great idea! I’ve been canning it raw and have huge hard clumps. This will much nicer to work with not to mention the side benefit of the beef stock. Thanks for your tip!
This sounds great! I will have to try it. How long will it usually keep?
Does a pint jar hold about a pound (precooked weight)? That would be awesome! I was just brainstorming about cooking up some beef/onion/garlic to freeze for easy meals when Baby arrives, maybe teaching my oldest how to cook a few simple things. I have a feeling #5 might be a big adjustment for us, but I thought that with #4 and she just fit right in and hardly made any waves at all.
Maybe this pregnancy is the boost I need to get that canner out of its box for the first time :\
Yes it does! I find a pint jar is the perfect size to can for our family to.
Mrs. Teasley wrote:
Guidelines normally say 1 year for canned goods. However myself and many canners have us goods much longer then that and they were fine.
Kim wrote:
Thanks!
I am about to try canning my meat for the first time and wanted to know if you think that boiling it makes it softer than pan-frying it…email me if you could, as I’m ready to do it asap!
Excited to hear from you!
@ poohnda:
I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond until now! Yes boiling the meat makes it a little softer then pan frying. But it is also easier to remove the grease from the meat if you boil it. If you pan fry it, make sure to drain and rinse the meat before canning.